One Simple Trick to Make Your Home Decor More Interesting

The trick is to bust out of the vertical and horizontal planes. Displaying all upright decor or all flat decor is boring. So, if all you’ve got is a flat stack of books and tall vases, then we’ve got some work to do.

Thankfully, there’s a super simple way to fix your boring decor.

I want to introduce you to the concept of “breaking planes.” The two planes we want to break are the horizontal, anything laying on your surface, and the vertical, anything standing upright. The goal is to bridge those two planes and make your decor look more interesting.

1. Punctuate a Stack of Books

One thing you can do to perk up a boring stack of books is to put a decorative object on top of the stack. Think of using your decorative objects intentionally to break planes.

Think of it like a pattern interrupt. Flat book…flat book…flat book…flat book…Ooh! Something different. The decorative object on top of the stack draws the eye and makes the arrangement more interesting.

2. Use Objects As Bookends

Now, you can use this same pattern interrupt idea to break up vertical patterns too. If you have books standing upright on a shelf, you can use a decorative object or a uniquely shaped vase instead of just a simple bookend.

3. Alternate Books

There’s one more way you can really mix up your decor. Arrange the books so some are upright and some are stacked. Then use a decorative object to bridge those two planes. You can add additional decor on the other side to serve as a bookend for the upright books.

The idea with breaking planes is to intentionally use your decorative objects to add more dimension to your arrangements. Watch my video on Eight Favorite Objects to Decorate With to get more ideas for breaking planes.

Pssst. I hope this post has you thinking about bookshelf styling, because that’s what I’ll be sharing next week. Sign up for the Home Styling 101 video series so you don’t miss next week’s episode The Basics of Bookshelf Styling.

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I believe you are the best person to decorate your home. You just need a dash of courage and a dose of decorating know-how. That's why I created Teal + Lime.

I know how frustrating it is to feel like failure at home. I also know how amazing it feels when decorating finally makes sense and your home reflects you. I want to share what I've learned so you can create a home you love without years of trial and error.